Abstract:
A solvent extraction apparatus comprises a cooler for condensing solvent vapour and a funnel provided towards its lower end. The funnel has an upper surface at which terminates a central downwards directed elongate outlet having an internal exit port formed in a side wall. A vertically movable lifting rod passes through the cooler and the outlet. A section of the lifting rod is shaped to delimit a passage-way for condensate whilst simultaneously sealing the port. A liquid guide is provided at the upper surface to preferentially direct flow of condensate towards the passage-way.
Abstract:
A method of controlling a production process including a process step for the morphological modification of a bio-material matrix comprises obtaining digital input data acquired during each of a plurality of production runs of the process, which input data includes information from radiation within a portion of the electromagnetic or acoustic spectrum having interacted with the matrix at one or more locations within the process together with a process control parameter and production event data for the associated production run; generating in a computer a prediction model from a multivariate analysis of the digital input data, which model links the information directly with one or more of process control parameters, production run events and process control settings; and applying in the computer the prediction model to interacted information obtained from a new production run to generate as an output one or more of a process control parameter a process control event and a predicted production run event for the new production run for use in controlling the production process.
Abstract:
A method of compensating for frequency drift of a reference energy source in an FT interferometer based spectrometer instrument, the method further comprising comparing in an arithmetic unit data representing a reference interferogram and data representing a target interferogram to determining a phase shift between the interferograms in a window W in at least one region away from center-burst and generating in the arithmetic unit a mathematical transform dependent on the determined shift or shifts to be subsequently applied to control the operation of the spectrometer instrument in order to generate data representing a frequency stabilized interferogram of an unknown sample recorded by the FT interferometer.
Abstract:
A method of compensating for amplitude drift in a spectrometer comprising: making successive performances of a standardisation process to generate, at each performance, a mathematical transform to compensate for amplitude drift for application by an arithmetic unit to a spectrum obtained by the spectrometer in an interval between the performances; modifying the mathematical transform with a function dependent on spectral data from a zero material measured in association with the standardisation process and the single beam zero spectrum measured in an interval between performances; and applying the modified mathematical transform to a spectrum from an unknown sample.
Abstract:
A method of formulating a feedstuff is provided which comprises the steps of: analysing the effect on one or both chemical and biological properties of the feedstuff of varying feedstuff ingredients and analysing the effect on the ingredient cost of the feedstuff of varying the feedstuff ingredients. The method further comprises a step of analysing the effect on a predicted production cost of the feedstuff of varying the feedstuff ingredients and a step of determining a desired formulation of a feedstuff for production on the basis of at least the analysed effects on the properties, on the ingredient cost and on the predicted production cost of varying the feedstuff ingredients.
Abstract:
A method for preparing a sample of organic material for laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) may include obtaining granular organic material, forming a portion of the granular organic material into a sample pellet, and searing the organic material. The searing may include searing only an exposed end surface of the sample pellet on which LIBS analysis is to be performed. The method may include pressing the seared sample pellet to consolidate the material comprising the seared end surface.
Abstract:
A LIBS analysis system comprises a focusing lens arrangement having a focal plane; a laser for propagating a laser beam through the focusing lens arrangement to be focused at the focal plane; a detector for generating an output that is proportional to an intensity of incident electromagnetic radiation that is incident on the detector; a translation mechanism configured to cause a relative movement of the sample holder and the focusing lens arrangement to vary a position of the focal plane along the optical path with respect to the sample holder; and a controller configured to automatically control the translation mechanism to cause the relative movement of the sample holder and the focusing lens arrangement to achieve an optimum position at which the focal plane and an analysis region of the upper surface intersecting the optical path are at or are close to coincidence.
Abstract:
A method for preparing a sample of organic material for laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) may include obtaining granular organic material, forming a portion of the granular organic material into a sample pellet, and searing the organic material. The searing may include searing only an exposed end surface of the sample pellet on which LIBS analysis is to be performed. The method may include pressing the seared sample pellet to consolidate the material comprising the seared end surface.
Abstract:
A system for accepting or rejecting a container containing a meat batch comprises a reader and a controller cooperating to effect the acceptance or the rejection of the meat batch. The reader is configured to interrogate a machine readable tag attached to the container to retrieve information stored thereon into the controller which is configured to respond to the information retrieved by the reader to access batch information comprising at least information indicative of a fat content of the meat batch, to compare the batch information with a criterion of a recipe related to a target fat content to determine a suitability of the meat batch for inclusion in a mix meeting the recipe, and to generate a control signal dependent the determination usable to effect acceptance or rejection of the meat batch as appropriate to the determination.
Abstract:
A Laser Induced Breakdown Spectrocopy (LIBS) system (2) for the analysis of a sample pellet (12) of a consolidated granular material retained in a tubular container (20), the system (2) comprising a laser source (4) configured to emit a pulsed laser beam (6) towards an exposed surface of the sample pellet (12); and a sample station (18) configured to hold the tubular container (20) with the sample pellet (12) orientated to present the exposed surface towards the pulsed laser beam and comprising an actuator configured to slide the sample pellet (12) along a movement axis out of the tubular container (20) and thereby present a portion of an outer surface (10) of the sample pellet (12) previously constrained by an inner surface of the tubular container (20) as the exposed surface.